Not in Madrid. We had some rainy days but the sun, blue skies, and warm temperatures are temporarily back. But we have black clouds in our apartment. Leslie is been gravely ill for at least the past two weeks.
I found him on the street on a hot Sunday, July 13th. His feathers were in a very bad state and he was thin and very hungry when he arrived.
We soon realized that he was a delicate and shy bird, but after a couple of days he started singing. And it was so beautiful.
We thought his attitude was due to feeling lonely, and after one month waiting for some previous owners that never showed up, we decided to give him a girlfriend. This were going fine, there were no fights and Leslie learned from her to eat more veggies.
But two weeks ago, around 2 months Leslie arrived here, we realized that there was something quite not right with him. I still don’t know whether he developed this here of he already had it. The veterinary made an X-Ray and we discovered a huge mass inside him. This is what’s giving him problems to breath and why he’s not singing anymore. She prescribed two antibiotics and an anti-infammatory to give him every 12 hours. We’ve been giving him his medication every single day and even tried to make him as comfortable as possible, turning the heating on when the nights were cold, keeping the lights and sounds low and giving him all he could need. I didn’t even sew any stitch since then. I could go to the little room to avoid disturbing him but I want to check up on him as much as possible. Our living room has a long shape, and in the evening we eat and stay on the other side of the room, hoping that at least he can get enough sleep.
We went back to the vet two days ago and Leslie is thinner but the mass has grown. The veterinary has mentioned that we should observe when life can be too hard for this little fellow and we may need to pull the plug. Unfortunately I’m unable to do so while he keeps eating, drinking and bathing like you can see here. I hate to see him suffering but I can’t give up if he doesn’t. I don’t believe in the word ‘pet’, I believe in family members, and he’s one of them. I’m not doing anything that I wouldn’t do for any other family member.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4sYgL50z3HFMVpnM01mRHR2dUU/view?usp=sharing
I’m so sorry your beautiful little guy is ill. 🙁
Thank you for your words. These are hard days for all of us :'(
Oh Elena, I’m sorry to hear this! I think it’s so great what you guys have done for this little bird. It’s hard to know when it’s best to put an animal down. With both my old dog and cat I just prayed for wisdom and signs that they were suffering. Having waited too long with one pet, I learned to trust my instincts. I think you’ll know when it’s time because you’ll sense him beginning to feel pain. I do hope he somehow recovers though.
I also hoped that he could recover when we received the news. Koen felt very very sad, but the warrior in me didn’t want to give up. Only time will tell…
I’m so sorry to hear that he is still sick.